Method and means for separating and retarding relative movement of refractory, vitrified, and like products during transportation



Dec. 1, 1936. sw N ET AL 2,062,948 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEPARATING ANDRETARDING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF REFRACTORY, VITRIFIED, AND LIKE PRODUCTSDURING TRANSPORTATION Filed Oct. 23, 1933 Patented Dec. 1, 1936 1 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEPARATING AND RETARDINGRELATIVE MOVEMENT OF REFRACTORY, VITRIFIED, AND LIKE PRODUCTS DURINGTRANSPORTATION Helen Young Swank and Albert M. Swank, Johnstown, Pa.

Application October 23, 1933, Serial No. 694,854

I 4 Claims. (Cl. 105-369) Our invention consists in a method and meansTo illustrate one method of carrying out the for separating andretarding relative movement present invention, we have in the drawing,shown of refractory, vitrified and like products, especiala transportingcarrier 4, which may be a railly hollow clay products, duringtransportation. road car, and has a plurality of hollow, clay Intransporting hollow clay products, such as products 5, mounted therein,which in the pres- 5 conduits, pipes, hot tops for ingot molds, holentinstance, are shown to be cylindrical pipes. w building tile, and thelike, the loss sustained The pipes are loaded in spaced relation to theby fracture and breakage is very great, due to bottom and sides of thecarrier through the medithe low shear or tension value of clay products.um of blocks or pads 6, these being arranged at 10 This loss has been sogreat that railroads have intervals between the bottom row of pipes and10 adopted standard keys'for the guidance of shipthe sides of thecarrier, as shown to advantage pers in the transportation of commoditiesof this in Figs. 1 and 2. character. This has lessened the amount of Wehave found that a preferred method of breakage in transportation, butthe loss ratio loading products of this character in accordance per carstill runs between sixteen to fifty pefwith the teaching of the presentinvention is to 15 cent, with the resultant loss of hundreds ofthousuperimpose the pipe or other object being transsands of dollarsannually to railroads. We have ported, on two or more of the blocks 6,which are found that the present invention practically deposited on thefloor of the car, or other carrier. eliminates fracture and breakage ofdevices of Preferably, a block will lie adjacent each end of thischaracter in transportation and entails no each pipe, and the latter arespaced from one 20 more expense than now required to load in acanother,similar to the showing in Fig. 1. The cordance with the keys madestandard by the next row of pipes or the like, is then arranged inrailroads. superposed relation to the lower row, but spaced The presentinvention has for an object to therefrom by the blocks 6. These blocksare utilize the basic homogenous mass from which mounted so as toimpinge the pipes at two points 25 refractory, vitrified, ceramic, andlike products to hold the pipes suspended above the lower row are made;this last is known in the art as mud, of pipes, in order that thelongitudinal axis of and in the present invention is used to space thethe first said pipes will parallel a line drawn products from the bottomof the transporting between the subjacent lower pipes upon which carrieras well as from one another; the spacing they are mounted. In this'way,all relative move- 30 is effected during the loading operation and wement of the pipes or other products being transhave found that the mudis of sufiicient plasported, is eliminated. ticity to effect adhesionand prevent relative The blocks 6 are formed by running the mud,movement of the products or elements being used to make up the pipes orother products, transported. through an extruding machine from which the35 A further object of the invention is to extrude mud issues in bars orstrips, after which it is the mud in bars or strips, relatively small insubjected to a chemical bath. We have found cross-section, which aresubjected to a bath in that a non-penetrating solution of high surface achemical solution of high surface tension to tension is best for thispurpose to provide the 40 provide a non-cracking surface film whichprebars or strips with a film which positively ad- 40 ventsdisintegration of the bars or strips. heres to the surface, therebypreventing disin- Other objects of the invention will be manifesttegration of the bars. The bars or strips are cut from the followingdescription of the present prein any desired length to form the blocks6. It ferred form of the invention taken in connection is of course tobe understood that the block 6 with the accompanying drawing, whereinmay be used for short hauls without any chemi- 5 Fig. 1 is afragmentary, cross-sectional view of cal treatment, there beingsufficient inherent a transporting carrier, showing hollow clay moisturein the block to keep it plastic for many products mounted therein,arranged in spaced hours. For long hauls it is desired, however, torelation in accordance with the teaching of the treat the extruded mudin the manner above present invention. set out. To keep the blocks fromfreezing in cold 5 Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view of the same;weather we include in the chemical bath a chloand rine or the like. Wehave found in actual use Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of thespacthat the blocks will remain plastic for many days ing blocks forminga part of the present invenafter having been subjected to a chemicalbath as tion. herein set forth. 5

Since the mud used to make up hollow clay products, is characterized byplasticity, it is manifest that the blocks 6 will adhere to the surfacesof the products being transported. Additionally, the weight of theseproducts is suificient to form seats in the blocks, so the latter willin effect, conform to the contour of the products being shipped.Consequently, an adhesion is effected throughout both the top and bottomfaces of each block. The blocks need not be of any predetermined size orshape. We have found that the mud can be extruded in round bars whichare cut into the desired lengths and serve the same purpose as theblocks shown in the drawing. Under pressure of the load, the barsconform to the shape of the product, regardless of configuration. It ishowever, desirable to have each block or bar of sufficient length toextend an appreciable distance on each side of the axis of the productbeing shipped, to avoid possibility of displacement of the product fromthe block or bar during transportation.

While we have herein shown a preferred method and means of using theinvention, it is nevertheless to be understood that departure may bemade therefrom within the scope of the claims, hereto appended. We havefound however, that when hollow clay products are transported inaccordance with the teaching of our invention, the products are heldfrom relative movement and fracture and breakage thereof is negligible,being less than one percent. The plasticity of the mud effects theadhesion and the mud extruded as called for in the present invention, isof sufiicient density to provide a cushion or saddle for the products.Additionally, loading of a car is facilitated in use of the presentinvention, since the blocks 6 will adhere to the products when placedthereon with little danger of slippage, while the next row of theproducts is being loaded.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for use in spacing hollow, clay products for transportation,comprising mud deposits engageable between the products, and between theproducts and the transporting carrier.

2. In combination with a. transporting carrier for hollow, clay elementsarranged in superposed relation in the carrier; and means mounted atintervals, between the elements and between the elements and thecarrier, said means being yieldable to conform to the shape of theelements and characterized by plasticity to adhere to the elements.

3. A method of loading hollow clay products for transportationconsisting in spacing the products by spacing means from thetransporting carrier and from one another, and effecting an adhesion ofthe products to one another and to the transporting carrier through saidspacing means.

4. Means for use in spacing hollow clay products for transportationincluding independent blocks positioned at intervals between theproducts and the transporting carrier, the blocks being pliable tospread under the load of the products and snugly engage the latterthroughout the extent of the blocks.

HELEN YOUNG SWANK. ALBERT M. SWANK.

